


Let's Go Home

by TheMasterDonut



Category: Naruto
Genre: Adopted Uzumaki Naruto, Gen, good fugaku
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:14:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26727268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMasterDonut/pseuds/TheMasterDonut
Summary: In which Fugaku has adopted Naruto and tells him some stories of his family.
Relationships: Namikaze Minato & Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Fugaku & Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 3
Kudos: 30
Collections: r/NarutoFanfiction Gift Exchange





	Let's Go Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [katydid001](https://archiveofourown.org/users/katydid001/gifts).



Fugaku was reading a book on developing technology after the third war when Naruto ran in the house, an angry quiver in his lips. The boy stopped in front of him, and Fugaku saw streaks on his face where tears had fallen. 

“Fugaku, some of the other Uchiha kids were making fun of me because I don’t look like them.” Naruto looked up at him, blue eyes shining with unshed tears. 

He snorted. “Ignore them, child. The words of the ignorant are worthless.”

“But they said it’s only ‘cause my daddy was weak and died that I have to live here with them!”

Fugaku turned. “Is that so? Hrm.” He stood, walked over to the child and gestured to the door. “Mikoto, I’m going to take Naruto on a walk. We’ll be back before dinner.” She gave a call back of confirmation. 

Naruto gave him a confused look, but Fugaku gestured to the door again so Naruto opened it and walked out. 

“Where are we going?”

“You will see. Just follow me,” he said, and took a lead in their walk.

Only a couple more minutes passed before he asked again.

“You’ll see soon enough, Naruto. Patience is a virtue, one you’ve been slow to learn.”

“What’s a virtue?” 

“A good thing to have. Now be quiet and enjoy the walk.” 

It was nearly an hour from the Uchiha compound to their destination - training ground three. A large grass field, surrounded by tall oaks and a small river. Three tall poles stood proudly in the center, and the memorial stone stood just to the south. 

“Why did we come _here?_ I thought you were gonna, I don’t know, go teach those bullies a lesson or something.” he said, a mix of confusion and disappointment in his voice. 

Fugaku chuckled. “No, no. It would do no good if I were to deal with them. That’d just make it worse for you, I promise. No, today I’m going to tell you about your father.” 

“Wait what?” His face lit up, confusion giving way to elation. A smile expanding across his face. “But I thought you said you couldn’t tell me! You said the hokage said so!” 

Fugaku shrugged. “Well, us ninja have a habit of bending rules. You’re right, I can’t tell you who your father was. But there’s no rule saying I can’t tell you what your father was like. Call it a late 6th birthday present.” 

He let out a long drawn out “oh” with a nod, and Fugaku could only assume he was rationalizing it in his head. “But you still didn’t tell me why we came here.” 

“Because this was your father’s favorite training ground. I know nowhere else he visited more often. Perhaps his spirit will be closest to you here.” 

“Oh, wow.” The boy turned in a circle, taking in his surroundings a second time, with much more detail than he’d given it before. “That’s so cool. I’m gonna come and train here too!” 

Fugaku chuckled. “Perhaps one day you’ll become as strong as your father then.” 

“My dad was strong?!” His excitement continued to build. “How strong? Was he stronger than you?” 

“Well, I never liked to admit it, but he certainly was. Your father was a very powerful ninja, Naruto. We fought each other many times, ever since our days in the academy, but I never managed to beat him.” 

“Wow. But then, how did he die? If he was stronger than you, he must’ve been like, the strongest ever!” 

He sighed and scratched his head. “There are some things in this world not even the strongest ninja can fight and live through. Your father died protecting you and the village from the Kyuubi - just like the fourth hokage.” A part of Fugaku regretted saying that, in fear that Naruto would connect the dots and realize his dad _was_ the fourth hokage, but, well… Naruto wasn’t exactly known for his intellect. 

“That’s… That’s so cool! Hey, what did my dad look like?” 

“He was a lot like you. Spiky blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a radiant smile. I see him in you every time I look at you. I’m sure you’ll grow into a fine young man, just like him.” 

Naruto nodded and stood in silence for a moment before he jumped up and grabbed Fugaku’s waist. “Hey, hey, can you tell me a story about my dad? Like something he did with you or something?” 

“Hrm. Well, I did save his life once. It was a couple years before the third war...” 

***

Fugaku dashed through the trees, sweat traveling down his brow as he leapt from branch to branch. Each breath had become labored, but he was determined to keep up with the blond ninja to his right. 

“Careful Fugaku. Wouldn’t want you tired out before we even get there.” Minato said with a mocking, friendly tone. 

“Shut up. I can keep going just fine. Just because you got jounin and I didn’t doesn’t make you a better ninja than me.” Fugaku tried not not to clue him in on his jealousy, to no avail. 

“I think that’s exactly what it means, actually.”

“Whatever. Seriously, shut it, we’re almost there.” 

They’d been traveling for two hours together, much to the Uchiha’s ire. He wanted nothing to do with the blond idiot, but the Hokge insisted they made a good team. Fugaku didn’t see it, but it wasn’t his place to question. 

Their mission was simple: find the new Kumo camp near the western border, determine its size and how many people are there, anything else worthy of note, and return. Do not engage under any circumstances, tensions were high enough between villages, starting a fight now could start a third war. 

Fugaku was mid jump when he saw a faint cloud of white smoke in the distance. He stopped abruptly on the branch he landed on and gestured for Minato to stop as well. “Look, one o’clock. There’s smoke.”

“Got it. Let’s advance slowly. I’ll take front, you watch the rear, just in case.”

“Shouldn’t I be the one in the front? If I use my sharingan, I’ll be able to see what’s up ahead better than you.”

“Are you really going to argue with me about everything on this mission?”

“If it’s worth arguing about.”

Minato groaned. “Fine. Whatever, you can take front.”

“Good.” Fugaku stepped forward as his eyes turned red, the forest around him becoming clearer and brighter. He jumped ahead of his partner, closer towards the smoke, red eyes darting left to right as he checked his surroundings for traps or ninja hiding in the shadows. 

After another minute, Fugaku could make out tents and shoddily constructed buildings through the gaps in the trees. Before he could get a good view, six figures jumped out from the amidst the trees. 

“Minato! Six of them, straight ahead, watch out,” he shouted, barely in time to react to a large rock hurtling in their direction. Fugaku dodged left, and three of the ninja darted in his direction. He could only assume the other three went right, in pursuit of Minato. They’d been separated. Great.

The three of them were in the light now, and Fugaku could make out their white and grey outfits. They all looked rather young, early twenties at the oldest - only a little older than him. One had a sword, one was missing an eye, and one had bright red hair. Fugaku pulled out a Kunai and entered a defensive stance. They stood roughly twenty feet away, but that didn’t make the threat any less serious.

“Why did you attack us?” He called out. “We didn’t have any hostile intent.”

The one with one eye spit. “You’re leaf ninja. The only good leaf ninja is a dead one. Plus, now that we got a better look, taking your sharingan could make us village heroes.” 

Fugaku cursed. Of course, it was just his luck that the mission would fail and he’d have to fight three on one. Well, if he was put in a shitty situation, it’d at least be on his terms. 

Using a shortened sequence of hand signs, Fugaku unleashed a large fireball towards where the three were standing and threw a volley of kunai directly behind it. While he was obscured by the fire and smoke, Fugaku jumped up and hid in the trees. If he was outnumbered, guerilla tactics would be his friend.

The three of them regrouped after the fireball dissipated, back to back, carefully watching their surroundings. Fugaku created a clone that jumped up above them, grabbing their attention, while the original dashed straight towards them with a kunai. They weren’t distracted for long, but it was just long enough to stab the red haired one in the throat. He jumped backwards as he heard the other two yell, a mix of fear, anger and disgust. Now he could tell, they were amateurs. 

He spat and came out of hiding. These guys weren’t even worth fighting. They looked at him angrily. Or maybe foolishly was a better word, because everyone knows never to look an Uchiha in the eyes.

Before they could even run towards him, they collapsed onto the ground, minds suddenly occupied with the vision of their greatest fears. “Weaklings. I wouldn’t have had to kill one of you if you weren’t so foolhardy,” he said, a mix of regret and anger in his voice.

He turned and jumped back into the trees, in the direction Minato must’ve moved in. Soon enough he could hear the sounds of battle, metal clanging against metal, crackling fire, and loud thuds. He kicked off this next branch harder, cracking it beneath his feet as he soared above the trees before landing in the center of this battlefield.

Two ninja lay on the sidelines, bloody and unconscious. Or maybe dead. Minato was sweating and panting behind him, and in front of him was a tall, bulky Kumo nin, with dark hair and a vicious look about him.

“Not done yet huh? I told you just ‘cause you got Jounin first doesn’t make you better than me.”

Fugaku got a little concerned when there was no snide reply. Instead, Minato raised the kunai he was wielding higher, and wiped his face. “Be careful Fugaku. This guy’s strong. Much more than the other two. He’s been kicking my ass.”

“Is that so?” Fugaku looked the tall ninja in the face. “Listen, the only one who gets to kick the blon-”

He wasn’t able to finish his sentence before the kumo ninja was upon him, a hard fist lodging into his gut. Fugaku coughed and sputtered, the oxygen quickly leaving his lungs, and he wheezed for air. He would’ve been hit with another powerful blow, if not for Minato throwing a kunai and forcing the ninja back. 

“I told you to be careful.” he said, obviously amused

“Fuck you.” 

“Yeah yeah. Seriously now, he’s tough. You’re better in taijutsu, you take him there, I’ll hit him from the sidelines with jutsu and kunai.”

“You just don’t want to get your jawline messed up.” Fugaku chipped. “Fine. I’ll take the punches, make sure you hit him with something good.” 

Minato nodded and jumped away, just in time for the Kumo nin to re-engage Fugaku. The brute was strong, but that wasn’t compensating for a lack of speed. If it weren’t for his sharingan, Fugaku was sure he’d be a bloody pulp in the ground already. As it was, it was all he could do to dodge. 

“Y’know, I thought ninja were supposed to be versatile. All you’re doing is trying to knock my head off with those fists of yours.”

The kumo nin growled and performed a fast series of hand signs, which finished with arcs of lightning circling around his fists, each bolt hissing and crackling as it tried to reach him. 

“Alright, that’s fair enough.” Fugaku said, and started their song and dance of punch and dodge once more.

Fugaku was slowing down. He couldn’t keep this up. He wasn’t sure what Minato was doing, but he was taking his sweet ass time, and Fugaku wouldn’t last that much longer. If he was gonna survive this, he’d need to be clever.

“What’s the matter big guy? Mad that we took out your friends already?” 

The brute’s eyes tightened with a huff. He started attacking slightly faster. 

“Yeah, I bet you are. I killed one of ‘em in cold blood. Kunai ripped right through her throat.”

He clenched his jaw in anger, pulled back a fist and sent Fugaku flying into a tree.

Fugaku coughed and wheezed in pain, he was pretty sure his ribs were broken from that impact. But he committed, and now he had to follow through. “It must suck knowing just two leaf ninja took out five of you in your own ambush. Guess you guys will just never measure up.”

“Shut up!” He roared. “I’ll kill you.” He rushed toward him, ready to pulverize Fugaku’s face in a show of bloody lightning.

Fugaku was embracing the possibility of never seeing his home again when he heard a loud whirring sound, followed by a scream of agony and then a small explosion. Suddenly the brute collapsed on the ground next to him, a hole torn in his back, and Minato standing over him.

“Took you long enough, asshole. You go for a leisurely stroll while I was fighting?”

“FIghting is being generous. I think ‘getting slaughtered’ is a more appropriate term.”

Fugaku sighed. “Call it what you will, you were still really slow on the assist. What happened to jutsu and kunai, huh?”

“Well even while he was fighting you, he was paying enough attention to me to dodge anything I might throw at him. That was pretty clever of you, baiting him so I could hit him while he was distracted.” 

“Ah right, that’s what I was doing. That. And uh, not just, hoping he’d start crying or something.”

“You’re such a moron,” he said with a laugh.

“So are you. Why’d you jump right, when I went left? You should’ve seen where I was going, you were behind me.”

“Sorry not all of us were born with a sharingan.”

“Tch. Whatever.”

There was a lull in the conversation as Fugaku wiped himself off and they both prepared to evacuate the area, considering the mission completely failed. Once they were tree-hopping again, Minato spoke up.

“So what was that you were saying about being the only one who could kick my ass? Before, y’know, you got creamed.”

Fugaku looked away. “It was nothing. You’re reading too much into it. I was just trying to sound cool.”

“Right. I think someone’s not willing to admit that somewhere deep down, they care about me.”

“Nonsense. I was just doing my duty as a leaf ninja to protect my comrade.”

“Does that duty include saying epic one-liners about protecting your friends?”

“No, that’s just a fun thing to do.”

Minato’s eyes lit up. “Aha! You didn’t deny I was your friend. I win.”

“Oh just shut up, moron.”

They continued their trip in relative silence, only a brief report of their surroundings as they made their way back. But there was a new atmosphere between the two of them now. There was always an air of friendship between them, but it was… different now. Fugaku smirked as he leapt from another branch. “Race you back to the village!”

***

“Wow. That was really cool. You were close with my dad then?”

“Well, I didn’t consider it that way when I was younger, but looking back on it, he was definitely my closest friend. That’s why when he died, I took you in. The last favor I could offer for my best friend.” Fugaku looked up to the sky, a bittersweet smile on his face.

Naruto didn’t respond, and for a moment Fugaku thought he might’ve been sad, but then he felt two tiny arms wrap around his waist. “Thank you for being friends with my dad. And for raising me. And for telling me about him.” Fugaku felt a little dampness where Naruto’s head was resting against his stomach, which Fugaku reasoned as being tears.

He smiled and rubbed his hands through Naruto’s hair. “You’re welcome, Naruto. Thank you, for being you. You and your father have brought a light into my life that… the Uchiha are not used to. For that, I am in your debt.”

“I don’t understand…”

Fugaku chuckled. “You will when you’re older. Now let’s go home and get some dinner, okay?”

“Okay!”

He reflected on his life, and the direction he had taken. He was happy with his family. Naruto’s influence around the clan was visible - he wasn’t much like the Uchiha, but Fugaku knew that was a good thing. Naruto brought a positivity that was not native to his people, a positivity Fugaku knew would change the clan for good. He pondered what the clan would be like in another world, a world where he didn’t adopt Naruto, and shook his head. For some reason, he knew that was a world he did not want to live in.

Fugaku smiled and led him home. 

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so that was "Let's Go Home." I really hope you enjoy my gift Katy. 
> 
> For any of those wondering, the ending hints at the fact that the Uchiha Massacre will not happen in the future of this AU. Additionally, the flashback is set to a couple years before the third war, before Minato has mastered the Hiraishin. 
> 
> Alright. With all that being said, have a good one, peace.


End file.
